


Stars, in Your Multitudes

by TheFledglingDM



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: (I just want to prevent some spoilers), (because Percy is in this), (sorry), Additional Warnings Apply, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, And things will be warned about as they Come Up, Being Scenes of Action/Peril, Blood, Comfort/Angst, F/M, M/M, Multi, Rating May Change, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Some Humor, Swearing, pairings will change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-03 08:36:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14565183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFledglingDM/pseuds/TheFledglingDM
Summary: A pilot with a ship that breaks every other week. A thief. Two bounty hunters. A political fugitive. An untrained Jedi. And a doctor done with all of their nonsense.Seven strangers lost in a massive interplanetary war find each other, and just maybe, peace.Or: Vex and her brother thought they left war and politics behind them when they stowed away on a ship leaving their home planet. A little coin, open space, and her beloved shipTrinketwere all she needed. The addition of Keyleth the Kind-Of Jedi wasn't expected, but she was decent in a fight. Shipping her around the galaxy for a teacher would bring in enough money to keep the ship going.Until her brother pickpocketed the wrong person with the wrong illicit package.On the run from the Empire, the three must fall in with a ragtag Resistance to ensure their survival. But when a mission to an Imperial planet involves the rescue of a mysterious arms dealer, Vex finds that staying neutral may no longer be an option.Also known as the Star Wars AU I'm not sure anyone asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, all credit for these ideas/headcanons goes to tumblr's criticalrolo! Please check her out here:https://criticalrolo.tumblr.com/
> 
> Please check out her blog and gorgeous artwork! See it here: https://clairesketch.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for giving me the chance to write your awesome headcanons!
> 
> The title for this work is taken from Les Miserable's "Stars."

Vex pulled her hat lower over her eyes, keeping the afternoon sun out of her eyes. Her feet propped up on the central dash of _Trinket_ , who purred gently underneath her as she kept the engine running. To her right, Keyleth let out a soft snore, the apple she had been levitating rolling off her lap and onto the floor. She looked at the clock on the dash, seeing that it was _16:07_. She let out a low, bored groan.

“Piece of shit is _late_ ,” she muttered. 16:00 sharp, Vex had told him, they would stay for a day and rest and resupply before carrying on in their search. She gave him another ten minutes before she left him on Nar Shadda anyway.

Distantly, she heard the sound of running footsteps – boots pounding the pavement, panting and swearing, the sound of blasters firing—

The ship almost rocked as a figure in black vaulted through the open door, crashing into the wall and making the metal shudder. Keyleth awoke with a scream, the apple shooting straight upwards to mash to a pulp on the ceiling; and Vax sprinted forward, nose bleeding and one eye swollen, catching the back of Vex’s chair and yelling, “Drive, _fucking drive!”_

“You _son_ of a—” Vex grunted, engaging the thrusters and flipping various switches. She heard the distant sound of gunfire _ping_ -ing off _Trinket_ ’s sides, and she swore again, thinking if Vax turned her ship into a mess right when she got him fixed she was going to send her brother out an escape pod. But then the engines roared to life and her back was thrown against her seat as they launched, shooting out of the port at illegal speeds and heading straight for the sky. Keyleth yelped again and there was a distant sound of Vax crashing around in the back as he went flying like he deserved.

The sky thinned, turning blue, then gray, then black spotted with stars. Once they were safely off the planet, Vex slowed the ship and twisted around in her chair. “Where the _hell_ were you?”

Her twin stood up, straightening his black leather jacket and rolling his shoulder with a grimace on his face. The blood from his nose was trailing down onto his chin and neck, and Vex rolled her eyes, getting up to go to the med kit.

“Would you believe me if I said I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Vax asked, accepting the cold pack his sister handed him.

“No,” Vex and Keyleth replied immediately.

“Damn insulting, all of you,” Vax muttered. “This _once_ , it was not my fault. To my knowledge.”

“What did you do?” Vex asked, pulling out materials. Keyleth gently took her hand and put the things back into the box.

“Let me, I’ve been working on it,” She said. She sat beside Vex on the floor, her hands beginning to glow with soft green light.

Vex leaned back – she knew and trusted Keyleth, had ever since they ran into the woman on _Hoth_ of all places. She said she had wanted a quiet place, with few people, where she couldn’t hurt anyone, an _immediately_ suspicious statement that would have led to Vex leaving the pretty woman behind were it not for two things:

First, that she showed that she was apparently a decent hand in a fight with a training saber and an even better healer;

And second, her dry, black-leather-from-head-to-toe brother _adored_ her. He made eyes at her whenever she wasn’t looking his way, and a fair few times when she was – but Keyleth either didn’t notice or didn’t _want_ to notice, and Vax never pushed the envelope.

That didn’t stop his dumb face from curving up gratefully into a smile on one side as Keyleth delicately cradled his jaw, tanned fingertips ghosting over his nose and his swollen eye. Swirls of faint green trailed in their wake, same color as the crystal around her neck. Finally, both faded to normal as Keyleth pulled back, her hands dropping into her lap. Vax turned to his sister, his nose now straight and unbroken, dark eyes even. “Hello, stubby.”

Vex punched him in the arm. Over his yelp, she demanded, “ _What_ did you do?”

Vax frowned, rubbing his bicep with a resentful expression. “I found another crystal like Keyleth’s. I picked it up to bring it back here. See if it helped with her powers.”

“That’s very nice of you,” Keyleth said, “But I think I only need one Khyber crystal? That’s never been clear to me.”

“Important as that is, I’m curious of _where_ you picked up this crystal,” Vex said.

Vax grinned sheepishly. “Off the street?”

“ _Bullshit_ , Vax’ildan.”

Vax threw his hands up. “Fine! I saw a snooty-looking bastard who reminded me of our father so I decided to pickpocket him. I pulled out this,” He said, pulling a small package out of his pocket. He carefully unwrapped it, and a soft white light filled the cabin. Vex and Keyleth leaned closer, looking at the stone: it was much larger than Keyleth’s crystal, pearlescent, perfectly spherical.

“Neat?” Vex said at the same time Keyleth said, “That’s powerful.”

The twins turned to her. “Is it?” Vex asked. “How can you tell?”

Keyleth waved a hand over it. “I just. I feel it. In me. In you. Its aura.”

“Is it dangerous?” asked Vax.

“Is it expensive?” asked Vex.

The twins exchanged glances and a wordless communication: the one question answered the other.

“Yes,” Keyleth said, and then the ship began to shake.

“Oh, my baby, you are having a _very_ bad day,” Vex murmured to _Trinket_ as she scrambled to her feet and rushed to the dashboard. She pounded a few buttons, willing the ship to respond, but he wouldn’t. Vex peered out the window and saw the blue rays of a tractor beam pulling them into a larger ship.

The other ship wasn’t _much_ larger, but it was hefty enough to draw them in and attach the ships’ entrance latches. Keyleth stiffened beside her when they heard the airlocks engage on the outside. There was the murmur of voices, and Vex pulled her blaster from its holster. Vax stood closer to the door, knives at the ready.

The door shuddered and then slowly slid open. Shadowed in the doorway was a massive figure, well over seven feet tall, completely bald, heavily tattooed, and wearing piecemeal armor over a frayed purple tunic. He looked over them all once before his gaze landed on Vax. His lips curled in a sneer.

“You took somethin’ we’re looking for,” He said, his voice deep and filling the cabin. Before any of them could reply, the giant stepped out of the way and allowed a much smaller figure to come through. This smaller man was wearing a similar jumble of armored pieces over a worn but well-tended purple shirt. A red beret sat crookedly on his head.

“And we’re gonna need that back,” He said, putting his small hands on his hips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning for language and scenes of some peril.

“Who are you?” Vex demanded. “And what did you do to my ship?”

The short figure – judging by his stocky frame and pointed ears, a gnome – ignored her, only glaring at her brother. “We know you took it. We need that back.”

“Who are you?” Vax repeated after his sister.

“None of your concern,” The gnome replied. “The orb. Give it to us. Now.”

“ _This?_ ” Vax pulled the package from his pocket. “ _This_ is what you shot up my sister’s ship and chased us off-planet for?”

“Yes,” the gnome said. “I need that.”

“What is it?” Vax demanded. The gnome reached for it, and Vax snatched it away, holding it high above his head. Immediately the goliath intervened, grabbing Vax’s upraised arm and lifting him a solid four inches from the floor.

“Don’t play funny with us,” he snapped, and Vex raised her blaster.

“Put him down, or I will shoot,” She said, praying her bark was better than her bite. Life had never been kind to her – save for her brother – but she had never shot someone before.

“So you’re in on this, too?” Snapped the gnome. “You and the ginger?”

“What – is – this?” Vax grunted. He swung his legs up and kicked the goliath in the gut; the massive man let out a wheeze but stood firm.

“I dunno,” The figure leered in Vax’s face. “But it’s our job.”

“That. Is. _Enough_.”

Vex lowered her blaster and looked to the door. Standing in the doorway was another gnome, tanned, with platinum blonde hair dyed purple at the tips and pulled into a bun. She wore a similar outfit to the other two, but whereas the others came ready for a fight, her hands were on her hips. She glared reproachfully at her comrades.

“Scanlan, they clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. Grog, put him down.”

The massive man set Vax down bodily, murmuring “sorry, Pike” somewhat sheepishly. The gnome, Scanlan, had the grace to look abashed.

“It was a bit, y’see Pike, we were just trying to scare ‘em, rough ‘em up a bit,” He tried to say. Pike silenced him with a look.

“I’m sorry about this,” She said to Vax. She turned to Vex and Keyleth. “And to you. Please, let us explain.”

“I don’t _care_ , just get off my ship!” Vex snapped. “You shoot up my ship, follow us into space, almost strangle my brother, and you expect us to be patient?”

“I don’t even know what this is, and I don’t need to,” Vax huffed. He shoved the crystal into Scanlan’s hand. “There. Happy?”

“Yes,” Scanlan and Grog said.

“No,” Pike said. They all looked to her. Irritably, she let out a sigh. “You need to hear what we have to say because we _weren’t_ the ones shooting up your ship.”

Vex blinked. “Then who was?”

Pike shrugged. “Specifically? Not sure. But those were Imperial agents. And now they’re going to be coming after you, too.”

“Imperial – _what_?” Vex choked. “Why? Because of just a rock?”

“It’s not,” Keyleth said hoarsely. Vex turned and saw the woman’s green eyes wide. Keyleth looked from Pike, to Scanlan, to Grog. “It’s not just a crystal, is it?”

Pike shook her head slowly. “It’s called numerous names, but it’s basically Undifferentiated Khyber. Khyber crystal that’s still young and hasn’t fully matured. It’s as strong as standard Khyber, but more malleable – it can be crafted into weapons. We caught wind that someone in Nar Shadda had some and were sent to get it. You,” She said, addressing Vax, “Happened to pickpocket the seller when we were closing in. It’s just as well you did, considering there were Imperial forces there already. You saved us from an ambush.”

“Yes, getting my companion and sister pulled into this mess as well,” Vax said sourly.

“We’re sorry,” Pike and Grog said together. To his credit, Grog unsubtly nudged Scanlan with a poke of his massive finger. Belatedly, Scanlan added, “Sorry.”

There was a long, awkward pause.

“Well, thanks,” Vex said airily. “This was unpleasant for all parties, but now we can go our separate ways. Hop off my ship.”

“There’s something else,” Pike said. “Now that you’ve taken the crystal, they’re going to think you’re connected to this. The Empire is going to come after you.”

Vex laughed. “A low-level thief, a pilot, and an untrained Force user? Riding around the Rim in this darling ship?” She opened her arms to indicate the rest of the cabin. “You think they’re going to come after us?”

“Vex,” Keyleth said, catching her shoulder. “This is serious.”

“I am serious,” Vex argued. “I appreciate the warning – Pike? But I think we’ll be fine.”

Pike hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. “Alright. If you run into trouble, need a place to hide, or –” she glanced around the cabin. “—need a job, go to these coordinates. Keep them to yourselves.”

Vex lifted an eyebrow, interest piqued by the mention of work, but simply nodded and scribbled the coordinates down in a small pocketbook. “We’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please do. Stay safe,” Pike said. Slowly, she, Grog, and Scanlan made their way out of the ship. There was the sound of the airlock releasing, and the three stood in silence as the other ship flew away. After several thousand meters it blasted off at light speed, vanishing into the blackness.

“Huh,” Vax said, rubbing his neck. “That was interesting.”

“Do you believe them?” Keyleth asked thoughtfully. “About the Empire coming after us?”

“No,” Vex replied. Vax was quiet for another moment.

“My immediate thought is no,” He said. “But they certainly acted like they meant business.”

“So do we,” Vex shrugged and went to the controls, setting course for Endor, where they had heard rumors of someone who may be able to teach Keyleth.

“We’ve never strangled people over it, though,” Vax argued. Vex thought on that before nodding.

“Fine. We’ll keep safe. But I still think that this is unnecessary.”

~

Endor was a stunning work in forestry and mountain ranges. As far as Vex could see, green trees fanned out across the massive landscape, only stopping near the crests of the mountains or just short of the small town where they docked _Trinket_. Vex wasn’t sure of the name, not being a native speaker of the language of the Ewoks who resided there, but Keyleth seemed to be getting on well enough miming with the villagers who worked on the land on the outskirt of the town. After about twenty minutes, one of the natives pointed in the direction of the nearest mountain. Keyleth thanked them graciously and waved bashfully back to them as she took off, pack on one shoulder.

“Be safe!” Vax called after her.

Vex rolled her eyes, a smirk playing over her lips. When Vax turned to her, his soppy grin dropped off his face immediately. “Shut up.”

“Never, brother.” Vex stood up, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Are you ever going to talk to her about your puppy love?”

“She has more important things on her mind,” Vax said. “Controlling her powers, finding a teacher, learning what happened to her mother…one day, maybe. But not now. There’s time for that.”

“How considerate of you.” Vex stood and stretched before picking up her satchel and tossing it over one shoulder. “I’ve taught you well.”

“You haven’t taught me shit,” Vax retorted without any bite. Preparing for whatever downtime they may have, he took out his knives and his materials to clean and sharpen them. Vex flicked him on the ear, dodging his arm batting her away with a laugh.

“I’m going into town to resupply. I’ll return soon.”

“Right, right, be safe.” Vax said, waving her away. Vex took off into the city, palming the money bag and feeling their low funds. She knew the feel of the credits without needing to look – the gold, the silver, it was perhaps enough to refuel _Trinket_ and get a few spare bolts and wires and a _lot_ of electric tape. The damage to the hull wasn’t nearly as bad as she feared, and she was proud of her giant rust bucket of a baby (she could call him that; no one else). But they needed a _job_.

It wasn’t that Vex was against helping Keyleth on her search for a teacher; she liked the girl well enough and certainly knew the risks of hanging around with an untrained User. But jaunting around the galaxy for a teacher was getting in the way of keeping a living, and Keyleth’s presence and the morality that went with it meant that Vax refused a lot of jobs he otherwise wouldn’t have sneezed at. So now Vex was wandering into what she suspected was a poorly-supplied town to try and supply them for the next month or so when they only had enough for – _maybe_ – two weeks.

It took half an hour or so, but finally she found a seller who spoke Basic. The Ewok man was gruff, the hair around his mouth and on his head silver. But he gave her a discount on the fuel and oil she needed when Vex complimented his hoverbike. After another fifteen minute about the pros and cons of the T-85 and the CK-6 (the former with the speed, the latter with improved maneuverability, and the man nodded in approval when Vex assured him they were of a similar mindset on the issues with the CK-6’s engine) he threw in two rolls of electrician’s tape for free.

“For a decent conversation about mechanics for a change,” He said, waving away her hand as she tried (not too hard) to pay for them. “Save it, kid.”

Vex smiled, meaning it more than she had expected to at the end of this conversation, and took her leave. The oil was heavy and banged against her side with each step, and the tankard of gasoline was already making her wrist hurt. A passerby smacked into her, barking something at her in Kalash, and Vex whirled around to snap back – but then her words failed her. Over the retreating figure’s shoulder was a nondescript human in black, standing near the mechanic’s stall: out of sight of her or the seller, but close enough to hear their conversation. They were staring directly at her, expression blank.

Vex spun back around, her heart starting to pound. She was being ridiculous. There were no mysterious Imperials coming for her and her companions; what would they want with their little ragtag group? What could be so important about that damn little orb that they would chase them across the galaxy?

Well, the woman named Pike had told them exactly why. But Vex and Vax had spent too much time on the run, fluttering from place to place, to be drawn into that mess again. They had left it all behind when they stowed away on that ship from Syngorn.

Besides, plenty of people look at her. She’s an attractive woman.

She glanced over her shoulder again. The figure was gone. That was worse. She picked up the pace, keeping an eye on her surroundings. There was a rustling in the trees around her; when she glanced towards the noise, she swore she saw moving figures.

_You’re being ridiculous_ , she told herself. She forced herself to look down and continue.

Five minutes later, a branch snapped. Vex whirled around again. Nothing.

“A branch snapped on the forest planet,” She mocked herself. “That’s never happened.”

She walked on. The forest was quiet, peaceful.

Vex stopped.

_Too_ quiet. No birdsong, no chitter of critters or animals. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. On pure fight-or-flight instinct, she took off at a sprint. It was just in time before the ground just behind her exploded into fragments as the bullet shook the ground.

Vex _yelped_ in a very undignified way, almost tripping over her feet and dropping the oil; it was a very ungainly run, the heavy cannister knocking against her hips in a way that was definitely going to bruise. She ran in a zig-zag pattern (that’s how you did it, right? Ran in a pattern? Or was that with animals?) – more bullets peppered the ground, and shattered bits of rock ricocheted into the air and smacked into her back.

Fortunately it was only a few hundred meters to the ship; Vax, ever on the watch, was already standing, blaster in hand from the shots. “Sister, _what_ –”

Through her heaving gasps for air, Vex yelled across the clearing, “ _Start him up!_ ”

Vax made a face, and for a horrible second she feared he was going to try and run to her aid; but he leapt into the hatch, running to the front. She saw through the windows as he made his way to the front and started to boot _Trinket_ up. Rapid shots followed on her tail as she made a final burst to the ship. With a huge adrenaline-spurred leap, she launched herself into the hatch the way her brother had yesterday, rolling pell-mell over herself and bruising herself more on the heavy cannisters.

But there was no time to breathe; Vax may know the basics of flying, but she was _Trinket_ ’s true pilot. She rushed forward, seamlessly moving into place as Vax handed her the controls. She didn’t bother to fasten her seatbelt as she shifted into gear, _Trinket_ shooting off into the air at such speeds the oil flew backwards and burst against the back wall. Vex had a moment to mourn the wasted gold before she saw six shapes rise out of the woods behind them: black, sleek Imperial ships, already bearing hot on their tail.

“Kiki!” Vax wheezed next to her. “We’ve got to find her!”

“ _How_?” Vex demanded. One of the ships fired a blast – a warning shot, judging from how it flew wide and crashed into the jungle below. Trees and leaves and soil burst upwards in a giant fountain.

“I don’t _know_ ,” Vax bit out, swaying heavily as Vex yanked the controls and shifted them out of the way of two more blasts.

“Well, we can’t keep them off forever! Where was she going?”

“The mountain!”

“ _THIS IS A MOUNTAIN PLANET_ ,” Vex shrieked. A shot hit _Trinket_ ’s rear, metal breaking and bits going flying. Vex swore loudly. “While you’re on it, do me a favor and try and get them off of us!”

“Sure, with my _blaster_ ,” Vax huffed, more out of fear and worry for their friend than any real anger. He moved to the open door, almost slipping on the oily floor before catching himself. He planted his feet and clutched the hand hold at the side, leaning out and firing his blaster at the Imperial ships.

Truth be told, Vex was also anxiously scanning the mountainsides, as if she could see Keyleth’s telltale mane of red hair at these speeds and heights. And that was if she hadn’t already been captured, or worse – all alone in this vast forest with her half-honed powers, unfamiliar with her surroundings, unsure if she would even find this fabled teacher –

At that moment a vast bolder the size of their ship went hurtling through the air; it narrowly missed _Trinket_ , but it soared right into one of the Imperial ships. It didn’t move out of the way in time and shattered in an explosion, shrapnel raining into the forest below and scratching the ships’ sides. Vex looked down, scanning, scanning –

_There!_ In a rocky clearing near the tree line, Keyleth’s lithe figure standing alone and using the Force to lift another bolder and fling it into the sky. Vex tilted the ship down, hoping her brother knew what her plan was – but she needn’t have feared. When _Trinket_ swooped low, heavily tilted onto its side and slowed enough so as not to injure, Vax leaned as far out the latch as he could, one hand on a handle, arm outstretched. He and Keyleth grabbed wrists, and he pulled and she used the Force to fling herself into the air. Vax shut the door behind them and Vex awaited the click of the airlock to shoot off into the atmosphere.

“Where now?” Keyleth panted as Vax cried, “What the _fuck_ is happening?”

“I don’t – _damn_ it to the Nine Hells and back,” Vex swore. They cleared the atmosphere and three more ships were waiting there – larger battle cruisers, their shields shimmering, cannons already set to fire.

_All this_ , Vex thought, _for a little orb._

The middle ship prepared to fire; Vex watched as if in slow motion as the blaster grew blue-hot as the power built up. It looked hyperreal, the sleek black surface, the side reading the _Seditionis Morte_ in a script more appropriate for calligraphy than a battleship—

Beside her, Vax was punching numbers into the directory. His voice came to her as if through water.

“Go, sister, _go, dammit, what are you waiting for, punch it punch it PUNCH IT—”_

Feeling flowed back into her hands; Vex slammed her fist down onto the button to shift them into light speed, and the blackness around them faded into stripes of blue and white. After a few seconds – wherever they were, they were much, much closer than Vex thought – the ship dropped it, only a few miles off of what appeared to be a barren little moon. Nevertheless, Vex slowly cruised them down onto its surface.

The planet was not as hostile as she feared – though mostly arid, she could spot some oases, some mountains, some patches of green and of life. The coordinates took them straight to a compound that Vex would have missed otherwise; it was as nondescript and tan as the rest of the landscape. She brought _Trinket_ down, finding an opening. Through it, to her surprise, she saw a large array of one-pilot airships and a few dozen smaller figures on the ground.

To lower the chances of being shot out of the sky, Vex set the ship down about a hundred meters from the opening. But whoever operated this compound was already prepared, and she saw individuals dressed in worn soldier regalia jogging out.

Vex swallowed. They were heavily armed.

“What do we do?” Keyleth asked in a stage whisper.

As if they heard, a voice spoke up outside. “Come out with your hands where we can see them.”

Vax lifted an eyebrow. “That,” he said smoothly, as if the little shit was less freaked out than she was.

Slowly, Vex opened the exit hatch, putting her hands out to show they were empty. The trio descended, Vex’s boots sinking a solid two inches into rocky, loose soil. Or was it sand? Her nerves were making her mind lose focus.

The figure in front of them was tall, humanoid, feminine, with bright red skin and strong, beautiful features, silver hair pulled back into a high bun. Her hands were behind her back, but her blaster was on her hip, which made Vex release a short breath. She was dressed simply, in tan pants, knee-high boots, a worn but clean buttoned shirt, and an armored vest. Her white, pupil-less eyes looked over them all.

“My name is Zahra, leader of the Kraghammer Resistance,” She told them – not coldly, not hostile, but her tone allowing for no foolishness. “And you are going to tell me how you found this place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update may be a bit sporadic as I head into finals/senior week/grad school, but I look forward to writing more!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not particularly long, sorry! I'm just dashing this off as a break between studying for finals.

“We received directions,” Vex said in a rush. Zahra lifted one well-shaped eyebrow, her silence instructing her to continue. She glanced at her companions, unsure how to go on, when her brother took the lead.

“There was a misunderstanding with some of your compatriots. Two gnomes and a goliath, I believe?”

“Pike, Scanlan, and Grog!” Keyleth piped up. “At least that’s what they said their names were.”

“They feared for our safety,” Vex explained. “We accidentally…intercepted a package. So they feared the Empire would come for us because they thought we were involved. And they did. So we followed the coordinates Pike gave us and came here.”

Zahra considered them for another long moment. “Very well. We’ll find these people, see if their story corroborates yours. If it does, we’ll see where to take things from here; if not, well—”

“Wait!”

Zahra stopped at this interjection, turning gracefully to see who interrupted them. Running from the compound was Grog, the two gnomes on each shoulder. Pike was waving her arms, shouting again, “Wait!”

Grog stopped near the outermost ring of armed guards, nudging them gently out of the way with a low rumble of “’scuse me, ‘scuse me – sorry, Jarret – ‘scuse me-” and set down the gnomes.

“Now that we’re all settled,” Zahra said, and to Vex’s relief there was a hint of amusement in her alto voice, “What do you three have to say about this development?”

“These are the three who saved us from what was sure to be an ambush on Nar Shadda,” Pike said quickly. “By – by accident, but it was a rescue nevertheless. We knew that the Imperials weren’t going to risk letting anyone get away who knew about the Khyber, but we couldn’t drag them back by force. So I gave them the coordinates. Just in case. They seemed trustworthy.”

“A rude pilot and a thief who stole what you were looking for?” Vex said. Vax nudged her, either for her description of him or for messing up their case, she wasn’t sure.

Pike glanced them all over with those bright blue eyes. Vex felt as if she were being measured and stood up a little straighter. Finally, Pike said, “I’m a good judge of character.”

Behind her, Grog and Scanlan exchanged meaningful looks. Vex filed that away for later.

“Right, then,” Zahra said. “If that’s the case, then we don’t need to kill you where you stand. Follow after me, and we can figure out what to do in more comfortable quarters.” She turned and began walking away, red tail swaying behind her. After a few steps she glanced back over her shoulder.

“I was _kidding_. Now, come along, we’ll get you situated.”

Zahra waved a hand, and as one, the guards lowered their weapons, the air ringing with the _click_ sound as they switched the safety notches back on. The trio followed the woman into the compound, sometimes sliding in the loose gravel on the ground. When she saw an opportunity, Vex leaned over and tapped Pike on her shoulder.

“Thank you for backing us up,” She said, quiet enough they wouldn’t be overheard.

“You’re welcome,” Pike said warmly, “But don’t thank just me. Scanlan heard about your ship coming down first and came to get me and Grog. He wanted to make sure you had backup when you arrived, someone to help back up the story.”

Vex’s mouth formed a small “o” of surprise. Discreetly she glanced forward: he was again on the shoulder of the goliath Grog, his red beret jauntily tilted to the side. “That’s…very kind of him.”

“He’s a kind man,” Pike agreed, lips twisted into a small, wry smile. “He just tries his best not to let anyone see it. But he’s a good man. And the best slicer this arm of the galaxy.”

“Hmm,” Vex murmured noncommittally. Zahra was now leading them into the compound proper, and Vex stared around in interest. The entrance area was massive, several thousand square feet, and it was filled with airships – some large, some only fitting one pilot. The din of chatter in a dozen languages, the rhythmic sound of welding metal and clicking wrenches, and the cacophony of beeping R2 and T7 units filled the air. Vex wanted to stop and admire the supplies and materials, but Zahra led them into a side hallway away from the hangar. The halls were painted an off-white, chipped with age, and lit by fluorescent rods along the ceiling.

“What is this place?” Keyleth asked.

“It’s a refurbished Republic hangar,” Zahra explained. “After the Republic fell, those who survived set out to create a resistance group spread over the galaxy, based in these abandoned military complexes.”

She took them into a dimly-lit control room with various computers and desks strewn around them. Some held machinery, others papers, others weapons; Vex glanced at a screen showing a massive spherical object before the person at the desk quickly flicked the screen away, sending her a suspicious look.

“So.” Zahra said, standing at the head of a massive flat table. “Who are you, and what do you want with us?”

Vex glanced at her brother, each rapidly communicating how much to tell. Beholden to no such concerns, Keyleth answered.

“My name is Keyleth of the Ashari on the planet Zethra. I ran into these two on the planet Hoth, where I lived for a brief time to learn to control my powers. The twins helped me out when I got into a rough patch with some tauntauns – or maybe wampas? – and from there I’ve stayed with them. I have some gold to pay them as we’ve traveled the galaxy to find someone who can teach me.”

“Teach you what?” Zahra asked.

“The Force.” Keyleth said simply. “We were too far from the Republic for the Jedi to find us. So I have to learn now.”

Zahra considered her for a moment. Then her lips curved into a small smile. “I believe we may be able to help you with that.” She turned her attention to the twins. “And how do you two fall into this?”

“We grew up on Byroden,” Vax explained simply. “Jumped around a bit. Once we were old enough, we shipped out of there and have been on our own since then. I do some odd jobs. My sister is a trained pilot and mechanic.”

“I see,” Zahra said. Vex held her breath, hoping that the woman wouldn’t delve further into their backstory – everything Vax told them was true, if _very_ abridged. But no; Zahra looked them over and asked, “Now that you are here – what would you have with us? If anything?”

The trio looked between them. Zahra quirked an eyebrow. “Or, perhaps we can continue this conversation later. Allow you time to rest and eat. We can discuss this later. Scanlan, care to take them to the barracks?”

Scanlan, who until this point had been rapidly typing on a computer in the back, glanced up. “Sure. Let me finish this, and I’ll take them while it downloads.”

Vex had no idea what that meant, but Zahra nodded. She turned her attention back to the trio. “I’ll be around here if you have any questions. Feel free to approach.” Though her statement seemed genuine, she immediately turned away and went to a large desk spread with papers near the back.

With little else to do, Vex approached the computer where Scanlan worked. Despite his smaller hands his fingers were flying over the keyboard, bright brown eyes reading the code faster than she could attempt. With a final showy flourish, he hit a final key and a bar reading _Download 0% Complete_ came up.

“What are you doing?” Vex asked. Scanlan grinned.

“A showman never reveals his secrets.” He rolled back the chair and hopped down. “C’mon, you three, follow me. The barracks aren’t too far.”

“But they’re the regulation five hundred meters from the weapons?” Vex asked.

Scanlan rolled his eyes, a droll smirk on his lips. He was always smiling, Vex realized, either in mischief or pride or danger (she had not seen him in many circumstances), the outer corners of his eyes wrinkling and dimples on both cheeks. “But of course. Safety first, you know that.”

Vax snorted. Vex nudged him gently.

Scanlan took them down long hallways, eventually stopping outside a door. He scanned a card on a pad outside the door and it slid open to reveal a dormitory-style room with two beds, dressers, and desks. As she looked, Scanlan said, “Two of you can stay here. There’s another room down the hall with a spare bed, but fair warning, it’s already got me and Grog in it.”

“I’ll take it,” Vax volunteered, sounding more resigned than excited.

“Excellent. Grog snores loud enough to shake the walls and farts like he’s had burritos or a week. Welcome to the room; here’s your key.”

Dubiously, Vax took the key card Scanlan offered, examining it as Scanlan handed the other cards to Vex and Keyleth.

“We’re the only ones who can access the rooms?”

“You, your roommates, and Zahra. Don’t think she’ll be coming into your room, handsome, she just has access to everything as head of the base.” Scanlan smirked. Vax let out a deep, put-upon sigh that told Vex that he suspected he was going to be doing that quite a lot now.

“Well, thank you. I’ll speak to my sister and my companion now, so…see you later, I suppose.”

“Farewell!” Scanlan said with a wave, already turning to go. Keyleth stepped into the room, Vax following, but Vex hung back.

“Scanlan?” She called. “What was it you were downloading earlier?”

“Hm? Oh, that,” Scanlan said. “The flight manifest from Endor. We’re taking your junkship off it in order to keep the Imperials from you tail. It won’t do much since they already knew you were there, but it’s a decent safety precaution in case anyone else decides to go looking. If you remember the name of the dock on Nar Shadda I can take you off that as well.”

“Please don’t call _Trinket_ a junkship,” Vex said more sharply than she intended. “But – thank you. And thank you for coming to our aid this afternoon.”

“Pike told you?” Scanlan asked warily, leaning on the wall with his arms folded over his chest.

“She did,” Vex confirmed. “I probably wasn’t supposed to say anything, but I try to pay my debts. So. Thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome,” Scanlan said, waving a hand and walking away, trying but failing to hide the genuine smile this time.

Debt paid, Vex returned to her new room. Keyleth had already claimed a bed and was sitting on it cross-legged, her shoes off. She looked dead tired.

“Alright, Kiki darling?” Vex asked, walking over to press the back of her hand to her forehead. Keyleth shook her head.

“I’m fine, just drained. I spent a lot of energy throwing those boulders at the Imperial ships today. I could do it in the moment, but now that the adrenaline is gone I just feel so _tired_. And _hungry_. And –” She cut herself off, biting her lip. Sensing that there was something she wanted to talk about, but wasn’t ready to, Vex patted her on the knee.

“Well, we’ll decide what to do, and tell this Resistance bunch, and then we’ll get you some food and sleep. Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Keyleth said, grinning. Then it fell. “What _do_ we do?”

“What do you want?” Vax asked, looking between them.

“I want to stay,” Keyleth said immediately. “If Zahra is right, and they can help me control my powers some – I want to stay. Plus, they _help_ people, this Resistance. I want to do that, if I can.”

“Alright,” Vax agreed too readily for Vex’s tastes. He turned to her. “And what about you, sister?”

Vex bit her lip, leaning against the wall and twisting the end of her braid in her fingers. That was the question, wasn’t it? It wasn’t like she had anywhere to _go_ , it was just – 

She didn’t have anywhere to go, but she couldn’t _stay_. She needed to move, be free, run loose and wild through the galaxy with only the stars to guide her. Vex and her brother had done their time in this mess of a war, in its stifling politics and gray morality, in Vax’s time planet-hopping while they were apart, in the maintenance of old Republic ships Vex did in the pilot’s academy. She had seen the lives it ruined, the untold deaths, the families ripped apart. She wanted no more with it.

But now they were _here_ , on the run, and they had gotten lucky on Endor. They were not likely to get lucky again.

With a sigh, Vex said, “We should stay. It’s the most logical, reasonable option.”

“We’re neither logical nor reasonable,” Vax teased, coaxing a grudging chuckle from Vex.

“No. But we can start. Come, let’s speak to this Zahra about what we’ve decided,” Vax said, already doing to the door. As he passed, he poked his sister in the side, making her squeak; Vex elbowed him in the ribs.

“Cute, but I think I’ll stay,” Keyleth said. She combed her fingers through her mane of red hair. “I’m just so drained. Tell Zahra I’m sorry? And I’ll see her tomorrow.”

“Of course, darling,” Vex said. “I’ll let you know what is said.”

“Sleep well, Keyleth,” Vax said, ignoring Vex’s smirk as they moved into the hallway.

Zahra was where they had left her half an hour ago, standing above a vast spread of papers on a large holotable. Her hand was on her chin, one finger thoughtfully tracing her lower lip, white eyes narrowed.

“Something troubling you?” Vax asked by way of hello. Zahra did not act surprised at their approach.

“Always; it’s the nature of the job,” She said, smoothly gathering some of the papers into a pile and flipping them upside down so they couldn’t be read. “Have you come to a decision?”

“Yes,” Vex said. “We would like to stay.”

“That’s good to hear. We can always use good pilots,” Zahra said. Sensing Vex’s trepidation, she prodded on, asking more gently, “And what would you do for us?”

Vax and Vex exchanged glances. “Well –” Vex started.

“I’m quiet,” Vax interrupted. “I can sneak, I can spy. I’m not a bad hand in a fight. And depending on the mission, or the pay – I can be quite useful.”

Vex bit the inside of her cheek, praying that Vax’s honesty wasn’t going to get them kicked out – he hadn’t said _I was an assassin_ , but, Gods, he may as well have.

“I see,” Zahra said, pleasant as ever. “We may be able to make use of that yet. As you saw, Grog, Scanlan, and Pike are a good team, but _quiet_ they are not.”

Vax nodded. Zahra turned to Vex, who now had no more room to hide. “And you?”

Vex swallowed. “I, ah – I can fly. I’m not combat-trained, but I can fly and I can fix things and I can listen and sneak almost as well as Vax.” She left _don’t send me into this war_ unspoken but heavily implied.

Zahra thought for several minutes, glancing over the twins and at the large table in front of her. “All right. Here’s an offer. We house you, feed you, give you access to our resources and materials, pay you the same rate as our mercs; you run small missions and surveillance for us. Nothing large – drop off a package here or there, collect a file, listen to news of the Empire. Not much different from what you were doing before. You fly, you –” she addressed Vax. “- put those sticky fingers to use. But now you’ll be doing it for us – _only_ for us. You won’t have much information to give, anyway, unless you _do_ decide to get involved more. But that will be left up to you.”

Vex was almost speechless. It was better than she had dreamed. Zahra lifted a brow, offering a hand. “Have we a deal?”

Vex energetically shook on it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience between my long updates. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Introducing some POV-switching. And CW for some mentions of the horrors of the Empire.

Keyleth was out cold when Vex returned to their room, long limbs strewn out over the cot, her hair askew, necklace glowing softly on the bed. Her freckles stood out on her pale face, the circles under her eyes darkened by the shadows and her weariness. She hadn’t even gotten under the blankets; quietly as she could, Vex pulled the blanket off of her bed and gently tossed it over her friend’s body. Keyleth’s only reaction was to curl up into herself, nuzzling deeper into her pillow.

It was just as well; Vex wasn’t tired, anyway.

The base was calming down around her as she made her way back to the main hangar. The main bustle had quieted down from the day, leaving the massive area almost empty except for the hum of the lights and energy coils. She climbed up into _Trinket_ , making her way into a lower area where two bunk-style cots were set into the wall. Vax and Vex had slept on them when they first got _Trinket_ , but things got more complicated when Keyleth joined them. After a lot of discussion and Vex telling her idiot brother he would not be taking the floor, she went out, bought a hammock, and slung it on the other side of the room, saying _This is where I’ll sleep_. She would stay here tonight, but first –

She dug into her trunk below the hammock, grabbing a pair of grubby overalls that she didn’t care about getting dirty. She changed, then left the ship to see about finding a pail and scrub brush. They were easy enough to find, so Vex climbed up into _Trinket’s_ main hold and examined the damage. The oil that broke in their run from the Imperials hadn’t fully dried yet, making the floor slick; Vex got to her knees and started to scrub at the floor. Suds and grease soon coated her hands and wrists, and as the soap bubbles piled up she swept it out of the ship and onto the cement tarmac below.

Her mind wandered as she scrubbed at the floor, the wire brush’s rhythmic sounds lulling her into a calm that she could only feel when working on her beloved ship. It took more willpower than she wanted to admit to not jump into the pilot’s seat and fly off into the ether. Zahra may have respected their wishes not to get involved, but even this felt like too much too fast. What was to say she wouldn’t demand more of them? What if these small missions they were sent on spiraled into more? What if _She_ found out about their new alliance – would she allow this, or would she demand the return of what she thought was hers? And what if news of their exploits made their way back to Syngorn, complicating the tense political atmosphere there? Or – worse – what if news of their exploits got back to Syngorn and _no one cared?_ And it was forever herself and her brother, her junker, and her pilot’s license, schlepping around the galaxy from job to job trying to stay in the air. Nowhere to call home, but nowhere to go.

She couldn’t go home, but she couldn’t stay here.

“Credit for your thoughts?”

The soft voice made her look up, blinking away wetness from her eyes that, if asked, she would say was a response to the strong scent of the oil. Pike’s head and shoulders were poking up into the entryway, leaning her chin on her folded arms.

Vex grinned. “They’re not worth that much; I’m just cleaning after an oil can broke. I want to get the mess out before it gets sticky and smelly.”

“Ugh, say no more.” Pike swung herself up into the cabin, snagging an extra brush Vex had grabbed when she gathered her soapy bucket. She got on her knees as well, scrubbing the floor near the back of the cabin and making her way forward to meet Vex in the middle.

For some time, they cleaned in companionable silence. Vex glanced at Pike, at the knots of muscle in her arms and shoulders as she scrubbed.

“So, Vex,” Pike finally asked, breaking the silence. “Where’re you from?”

“Oh, you know,” Vex answered unhelpfully. “All over. But I grew up on Byroden.”

“Oh, lovely,” Pike said. “I spent a bit of time there during the war, helping with some training.”

“Training?” Vex asked. “Were you a soldier?”

“Oh, no,” Pike said, “A medic. I led some trainings on Byroden, but I was shipped all over.”

“How did you fall in with this Resistance?” Vex wondered. “It seems like there were plenty of opportunities to practice medicine anywhere after the War.”

“Because the Republic fell,” Pike said simply. “So to me, the War wasn’t finished. The Empire was still expanding, trying to rid the galaxy of people like me. It won’t end until the Empire is gone, or I am.”

Vex stared, taken aback by the response. There was no malice or hatred in Pike’s voice as she described the genocidal actions of the Empire: there was some sadness, some resignation, but mostly there was a quiet surety and confidence. Underneath the warmth was a steely resolve, and Vex found herself a mix of awed, inspired, and frightened by that assurance. Of Pike’s confidence in herself, her mission, and her place in this vast universe.

And, perhaps, she was a little jealous.

“Anyway, I knew Zahra from old army days.” Pike seemed to have caught Vex’s turmoil of emotions and shifted the subject to clearer skies. “So, I skipped around looking for her. Eventually I ran into Scanlan – he had quite a reputation back then, as well as a terrible personality, only one of which has improved since then – and we met Grog. That’s a bit of a wild story, I’ll save it for later. But eventually, the three of us found Zahra and have been doing this ever since.”

“That sounds…” Vex struggled for the word, wondering how honest to be. Dangerous? Inspiring? Terrifying? “…Exhilarating.”

Pike let out a startled laugh. “Oh, it can be.”

“Do you ever wish you hadn’t?” Vex asked before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry, that was nosy and rude-”

“Actually, not really,” Pike interrupted kindly. “You and your brother aren’t the only people who only want to get tangentially involved with all this. We have plenty of contacts who only want to be eyes and ears off-planet. A few smugglers. And plenty who brush up against us and then get as far away as they can.” Pike looked up, her sleeves damp and knuckles pink from the cleaning. “It’s okay not to want to be involved, or not to know what you want yet.”

Vex hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. “Thanks,” she said, and her voice was softer than she had meant it to be.

“Anyway,” Pike said, “I’m curious about this ship. Where’d you find her?”

“I call it him, actually,” Vex corrected. “And _Trinket_. I got him from a junkyard on Jakku.”

“Jakku? And he still flew?” Pike asked.

Vex shrugged. “Not quite, but there are a bunch of old ships crashed down there and I know how to haggle for decent parts. It took a couple weeks, but I got him running.”

Pike let out a low whistle. “Impressive.”

“Thanks,” Vex said, feeling her neck grow warm from the praise. “It’s not much, really. Just takes a bit of patience, a decent eye for parts, a bit of haggling – anyone can do it.”

“And yet you did.” Pike grinned. “So, if you’re going to be hanging around us, are you going to give him any upgrades?”

The oily patch was just about cleared; Vex sat back onto her haunches and wiped sweat from her brow. “I hadn’t known that was part of the package.” Which made sticking around _much_ more appealing. “What are my options?”

“I can see what we have kicking around in the morning. Things are heavy, so we’ll probably need Grog to help out with the heavy lifting anyway. You ought to get some rest,” Pike suggested, taking the two scrub brushes and taking the bucket. “I’ll dump these for you. Night, Vex.”

“Night.” Vex stood, hovering awkwardly behind Pike as she watched her descend the gangplank. Pike glanced back over her shoulder and gave a small wave. With a short one of her own, Vex hit the button to close _Trinket’s_ hatch.

Suddenly exhausted, Vex trudged her way down to her hammock, stripping out of her oily and sweaty coveralls and leaving them on the floor and throwing herself into her hammock. She was out cold by the time her head hit the pillow.

~

Vex was not in bed when Keyleth opened her eyes.

It wasn’t a surprise, really – Vex had always been an early riser, and usually Keyleth would be up with her, but yesterday’s events just left her so _tired_ , drained to her in a core she never quite had been before. Sluggishly, she stood up; for a moment she swayed, struggling to find her balance, and then regained her footing. Slowly she left the room, walking along the halls with one hand on the wall lest she lose her balance again.

After their crash landing yesterday, she expected passerby to stare as she made her way down the halls. Instead, the Resistance’s soldiers jogged past her without paying her any mind, talking drills and weapons and base gossip, paying her as much attention as if she were part of the wall herself. If she were honest, Keyleth was grateful; once the Resistance established that she, Vex, and Vax weren’t a threat, they seemed remarkably blasé about the entire thing.

She had no idea where Vax had gotten off to, but she knew Vex would only be in one place in this huge base. She followed the sound of drills whirring and found herself back in the enormous hanger that held all their ships. Sure enough, Vex’s legs were sticking out of _Trinket’s_ underside as she worked something; were Keyleth to hazard a guess, she would say it was twisting the wrench that was attaching a large hunk of machinery to the ship, supported (mostly) by Grog and (a very little bit) by Scanlan.

“Um?” She said by way of introduction. “What’s this?”

“Keyleth, darling!” Vex cried from under the ship. “You’re finally awake!”

Keyleth blinked; Vex was much more chipper than she had expected her to be. After a few more moments of twisting, Vex banged her fist against the metal twice. “That should hold. I’m coming out!”

She wiggled out and stood. Once she was clear of the machinery, Grog and Scanlan gingerly released the metal, making sure it was securely attached. Vex turned to Keyleth, beaming.

“It’s a defense shield! I couldn’t believe it, but they had some old ships that aren’t quite in commission anymore so we scrapped them for parts, this is going to make _Trinket_ so much safer in a fight, we may even be able to attach some old blasters to the front! They’d be old as balls and rickety, but we could at least keep safe in the skies.”

“That’s… great!” Keyleth cried, unsure if it was really great. Vex started talking more, throwing technical jargon into the mix that Keyleth pretended to understand. Soon Pike, who was lugging a cannon blaster on a cart over to them, joined in and Keyleth was quickly forgotten in the mechanical rush. She stood awkwardly hovering on the side as Vex fell in easily with this new ragtag group.

“Leave them be; we all have our skillsets, dear,” Zahra said, walking up to her and stopping by her side.

Keyleth fiddled with the Khyber crystal around her neck. “Do we?” she asked, grumpier and more self-pitying than she intended.

“We do,” Zahra replied smoothly. “Come with me, you look famished. Let’s get some food in you.”

Keyleth’s stomach growled at the thought of food, which would probably help with her rapidly souring mood. She allowed Zahra to lead her through the halls to the mess, where she took some of the food that still sat in warmers near the kitchen and sat down. Zahra had taken nothing but a coffee, but she sat patiently as Keyleth ravenously downed the eggs, toast, and fruit. It wasn’t particularly good, but it was enough to ease the rumbling in her stomach and clear her head.

“Done?” Zahra asked ten minutes later, after Keyleth had cleaned her plate.

“Um. Yes,” Keyleth said shyly. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I was looking for you in any case,” she said. She leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “I understand you’ve been looking for a teacher.”

“I have,” Keyleth said with a nod. “We’ve been wandering the galaxy, looking for old Jedi sites or following rumors to see if we could find one who survived the Clone Wars. It’s been difficult.”

“I’m sure,” Zahra said with a wry twist of her lips. “The Jedi who survived have a vested interest in making sure they’re not caught, so they tend to avoid those rumors or old sacred sites.”

Keyleth deflated. “So all that searching – running Vex and Vax around the galaxy – that was for nothing?”

“Not for _nothing_ ,” Zahra said. “But not quite as effective as you may have hoped.” At Keyleth’s downturned shoulders, she added, “Fortunately, we _do_ have someone who can help.”

“Really?” Keyleth perked up. “Will they teach me?”

Zahra pursed her lips in a poor attempt to hide a smirk. “Well, _teach_ might be a stretch. He can be…prickly. But he’s good, and he will help you. Not least because I told him to.”

“Oh,” Keyleth said. “That’s…well, I hope that works out.”

Zahra laughed. “Diplomatic, I see. Would you like to meet him?”

Keyleth nodded. Zahra led her out the door, waiting with a smile as Keyleth deposited her dishes in the sink, and led her through more and more halls. This area seemed to be purely barracks, as the area around was quiet, no echo of guns firing or machinery buzzing here. At last Zahra stopped her outside of a nondescript, unmarked door and knocked twice. When there was no answer, she scanned her card and opened the door.

Immediately, an exasperated male voice called out, “Zee, when I don’t answer the door, it’s because I _don’t want to be disturbed_.”

Keyleth stopped in the doorway, utterly taken aback. Zahra kept walking, not paying the man any mind. “And here I was, thinking I was in charge of this Resistance and asking you to follow an order.”

“I’m well aware. Where’s the kid?”

“Um.” Keyleth said, holding up a hand from where she stood in the doorway. “Here.”

A heavy sigh. “Then come in and stop hovering.”

Keyleth stepped inside, letting the door shut behind her. The room was spacious, if sparsely furnished. There were only a series of cushions set in a square around a fountain in the room, its water flowing steadily down the tiered steps into the basin below. There were windows, the first she had seen in the base, and they lit the room with a burnished glow.

The man sitting on one of the four cushions was male and human, with light skin and a strong jaw and chin. His hair was cut to frame his face, though a ponytail tied the longer hair back to keep it out of his face. He met her gaze, looking her up and down with discomforting intensity; his eyes were two different colors, one a bright, shining gold, the other an indigo blue. As Keyleth looked him over, her eyes widened at the observation that his right arm was covered with a series of scars. They were exactly an inch long, thin, and while they sometimes crossed over each other she couldn’t discern a pattern.

“Didn’t your parents teach you it was rude to stare?” He asked sourly.

“ _Kashaw_ ,” Zahra admonished over Keyleth’s sputtered apology. “This is your student. Please don’t frighten her from the room in the first three minutes of this partnership.”

“Is that what it is,” He muttered. He looked up at Keyleth again. “Sorry,” he said, not sounding very sorry at all. “I don’t like being stared at. Sit down.”

“Sorry,” Keyleth said. “I won’t do it again.” And she slowly sunk down onto the cushion across from him.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Zahra said. “Kashaw, be nice.”

Kashaw’s response was a grumble. When the door slid shut behind Zahra, they were plunged into silence that was only broken by the tinkling fountain. With the interruption gone, Kashaw closed his odd eyes and took a deep breath, holding his arms folded over in front of him, fists clenched, knuckles touching.

Keyleth waited. Five minutes. Ten minutes. When she reached fifteen, she reached over and awkwardly, tentatively poked him on the knee. “Hey?”

His eyes flew open. “What?”

“What are you doing?”

Kashaw lifted an eyebrow. “Meditating.”

“And…” Keyleth started. “What should I do?”

“…Meditate,” Kashaw said, slowly, as if he thought she were simple-minded. When she didn’t immediately ask more questions, he closed his eyes and resumed his pose.

Keyleth frowned. Much as she had imagined a teacher, never had she expected this. Paranoid, open, old, young, male, female, alien, human – she had never bothered much with hoping for a certain type of teacher. But now that the Force had apparently handed her a grumpy Jedi who seemed to want nothing to do with her, she wondered if she ought to toss him back.

But there was no time for that now. She took a deep breath, folding her hands in front of her in a similar position to him. Soon, however, the muscles in her back tightened, an uncomfortable burn that creeped through her shoulders and up her neck. She rolled them, trying to get comfortable, letting out a sigh. Her long legs began to cramp in their pretzel formation; she shifted, trying to get comfortable, her bony behind not making the situation any more comfortable, and she let out an exasperated sigh-

_“Stop.”_

Keyleth opened her eyes. Kashaw was glaring at her. He went on, “Have you _never_ meditated before?”

“No,” she snapped back. “And if you bothered to _ask_ me anything, even my _name_ , you may know that!”

Kashaw opened his mouth to reply, but then he shut it with a snap. To her surprise, he gave her a tight nod. “Alright. That’s…fair.”

“Yeah,” Keyleth agreed. Another silence.

“So,” Kashaw said. “What’s your name, I guess.”

“Keyleth.”

“Kashaw.”

“I know.”

“Oh, yeah. Zee.”

“Yeah,” Keyleth said lamely. Another long silence ensued.

“So,” Kashaw said, uncomfortably clearing his throat. “You’ve never meditated before?”

“No,” Keyleth said.

“You must have had a terrible teacher.”

“I never had a teacher,” Keyleth said, nettled. “I was raised in the Outer Rim – the Jedi couldn’t find me that far out. I never had a teacher. So I have to start now.”

“Oh. That explains a lot,” Kashaw said. He looked her up and down. “Your form is too stiff.”

“I’m doing exactly what you are,” Keyleth pointed out.

“I know,” he said, “But that’s _my_ meditation pose. It’s how I feel the Force – it centers me, it flows through me. You may be different. How do you feel the Force?”

“Um,” Keyleth said, biting her lip in thought. She thought about yesterday, when her solitary, peaceful walk up the mountain was interrupted by the earth shaking under her feet and the sound of explosions filled her ears. She had run ahead, found a clearing near a spot where the river ran wide, and looked up to find _Trinket_ flying and twisting pell-mell over through the air. Blaster shots came from one side, but Keyleth knew that Vax’s tiny blaster wasn’t going to keep six ships off their tail. With a sudden surge of the need to _protect,_ to _help,_ Keyleth had felt the Force rise up in her – from her bare feet (she had taken off her shoes to better feel the grass and dirt on her toes), to her legs, to her torso, into her arms, and with a yell of effort she _lifted_ a nearby boulder and flung it into the sky.

It happened in an eon and all at once; Keyleth hadn’t even realized it really happened until the jet was falling out of the sky in a streak of flame.

Maybe that was why she was so tired, she mused. It was the weight of her conscience as she accepted that she had taken another’s life, regardless of their intent to harm her in turn.

She thought back further, to her time on Hoth, to home. Remembered the snowy fields and the blustering, mighty winds of the snow planet and the rich, fragrant foliage of home. That joy and reverence in her connection to the life around her, that awe of nature’s wrath and generosity, its ability to give and take away as easily as she breathed.

It was easy now for Keyleth to unspool her long legs, nudge aside the mat, and sit on her knees in front of the fountain. Slowly, she reached forward to dip her fingertips into the water. It was cooler than she expected, and she closed her eyes, feeling the trembling water as her fingers broke the surface tension.

She paused, breathing in, breathing out. Her mind didn’t clear, per se, but the constant racing thoughts slowed to a manageable rush.

It started slowly, the steady thrum of water on her hands becoming something completely different. If asked, she wouldn’t know how to describe it – the energy of the movement flowing up her arms just like the ground did to her legs on the mountain. This time, when it touched the center of her chest, Keyleth breathed out and pushed _her_ energy into the water, pushing out, _feeling_ out –

And she felt the Force, flowing though her, in her, in the air and the water all around her. Through the moving water system, Keyleth expanded her consciousness, feeling the energies and auras of the members of the base. She wasn’t sure how she knew who was whom, but she could feel Vex’s presence, and Vax’s alongside his sister’s, and Grog, Pike, Scanlan, Zahra. Each took on almost a different color in her mind’s eye, their unique connection to the Force adjusting to let her see each individual’s mark in the Universe.

It was difficult to maintain, this vast connection; even after a few seconds, Keyleth could feel herself growing weary again, the link between herself and the Force wavering. She screwed her face up tight, trying to pull herself back in before the Force overtook her – but before she left, she took a look at her new teacher. Kashaw’s form was still in front of her, glowing such a bright blue it hurt to look at.

With a gasp, Keyleth pulled out of the rush of the Force. Exhausted, unbalanced and shaken from the sudden shift, she toppled forward, landing hard on her hands at the bottom of the fountain and splashing herself up to her elbows and over her front. Her loose hair fell over her face and shoulders to dangle in the fountain.

With rough but steady hands, Kashaw was suddenly there, pushing her up by her shoulders to get her face out from over the fountain. His strange eyes studied her, and Keyleth opened her mouth to sputter and apology for falling face-first into his fancy fountain.

Instead, he smiled, a small, wry twist to the lips. “Good start.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house, we love and respect Keyleth. Also what shippings do people prefer because I have a story plan but then I wrote this and remembered how much I love Kashaw.


End file.
